"Quack, quack, quack? (Where is this?)"
By the time the big white goose realized what had happened, it had already left the Baiwa Secret Realm and found itself beside a small creek.
Qin Qingwan was also looking around. The scenery was picturesque, with clear mountains and flowing water, but there were no landmarks, leaving her clueless about their location or where Xu Ming might be.
"Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, do you have any way to find Xu Ming?" Qin Qingwan squatted down and grabbed the big white goose's wings, shaking them repeatedly.
Qin Qingwan felt deeply regretful in her heart. She regretted not leaving some sort of tracking artifact on Xu Ming earlier. That way, no matter where Xu Ming was, she could sense him.
Now, Qin Qingwan could only hope for Tianxuan Goose's help, hoping the two of them had some magical artifact that could help them locate Xu Ming, or that Tianxuan Goose had some innate ability to find him.
"Quack, quack, quack. (I know you're anxious, but let me worry first.)," said the big white goose, its tone filled with helplessness. "I have no idea where this is."
"Then what do we do?" Qin Qingwan's face turned pale. "Xu Ming must be in grave danger right now."
Seeing Qin Qingwan's pale face, Tianxuan Goose sensed something was off. It suspected that the aftereffects of Qin Qingwan spitting out a lotus flower for Xu Ming earlier were starting to show.
In truth, the big white goose did have a way to find Xu Ming. Its sense of smell was extraordinarily sharp—sharper than that of any canine demon. It could even tell which girl Xu Ming had been with just by scent.
Although it didn't know exactly where they were, it could still faintly catch Xu Ming's scent, which meant he wasn't far—probably within twenty miles.
But Tianxuan Goose couldn't let Qin Qingwan know this. Given her current condition, she definitely shouldn't go to him. If something serious happened, it would be disastrous.
"Quack, quack, quack. (Since Xu Ming told us to leave, we shouldn't cause him more trouble.)," the big white goose reasoned. "The priority now is to get reinforcements."
"Miss Goose has a point," Yu Wenxi agreed. "Baiwa City is located in Qingyang County of the Wu Kingdom. I'll head there immediately to seek help from the county governor."
Miao Feng nodded. "There's a 'Cliff Academy' about two hundred miles from here. It's run by a teacher from our White Deer Academy. I'll go ask him for assistance."
"Alright. Xiao Bai and I will look around and see if we can find Xu Ming," Qin Qingwan said. Despite her anxiety, she maintained her composure.
After discussing their plan, they each went their separate ways—Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng to gather reinforcements, and Qin Qingwan and the big white goose to search for Xu Ming.
As Qin Qingwan walked and tried to deduce Xu Ming's location, the big white goose glanced at her. "Qingwan, how about we split up to search? It'll be faster that way."
Qin Qingwan considered it and nodded. "Alright, let's split up."
She then affixed a talisman onto the big white goose. "Xiao Bai, wear this talisman. That way, I can track your location. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might get lost too. If you find Xu Ming, just poke a hole in this talisman, and I'll sense it."
Tianxuan Goose nodded. "Alright, sounds good. I'll head off now."
With a few loud quacks, the big white goose flew off in a random direction.
Once it was far enough away, it tore the talisman off and casually stuck it onto a tree.
Then, using its innate powers and its sharp nose, it sniffed for Xu Ming's scent and flew off in his direction.
On the peak of a mountain, a black dog and a Bifang bird stood, watching a nearby mountain.
After relentless searching by the black dog and the Bifang, they determined that the center of the mountain before them must hold some hidden secret.
At first, they had combed through the surrounding mountains without finding anything unusual. But not long ago, they sensed a battle erupting atop one of the peaks, with waves of spiritual energy rippling outward. The protective array around that mountain showed signs of loosening, drawing their attention to this particular peak.
"Shall we take a look?" Bifang hopped on one leg and kicked the black dog beside it.
The black dog nodded. "Of course. I want to see what kind of array they've set up to evade even our notice."
"Then let's go."
Bifang flapped its wings and flew toward the mountain peak.
The black dog barked, "Woof!" and stepped onto a black cloud, following closely behind.
---
Within the depths of a magma-filled cavern, one corpse after another fell from above, plunging straight into the lava below.
The gathered cultivators from various sects had never seen anything like the strange disciples of the Black God Sect. These figures had an almost beast-like aura, with their bodies bearing distinct signs of demonic beasts.
Speculations arose among the cultivators—had the Black God Sect practiced some bizarre cultivation technique to transform into such creatures?
Many of them wanted to escape the cavern, but it was completely sealed by an array. Their only options were to break the formation or kill every one of their adversaries.
However, they were at a disadvantage, and to make matters worse, the opposing side had a Golden Core Realm cultivator guarding the area.
Some began longing for the relative peace of the Baiwa Secret Realm. At least there, they could live in relative safety. Here, their very lives were at stake.
Their only hope now was that Xu Ming could defeat that monstrous opponent. If he failed, all of them would perish in this place.
---
On the other side of the magma cavern, Xu Ming stomped hard on the ground, cracking the rocks beneath his feet. He landed a punch squarely on Qi Hui's chest.
Qi Hui, well aware of the dominance of Xu Ming's martial physique, had anticipated such a move. He quickly chanted an incantation, and his body became encased in layer after layer of bone, forming a grotesque suit of bone armor.
Xu Ming's fist smashed into the bone armor, causing cracks to appear, but they mended almost instantly. Qi Hui drew a bone sword from his back, swinging it down. Xu Ming couldn't dodge in time and suffered a cut.
Grimacing through the pain, Xu Ming retaliated with another punch, aiming for Qi Hui's bone helmet.
Qi Hui, unwilling to risk more, kicked Xu Ming in the chest to create distance between them.
Xu Ming used his spiritual energy to staunch the bleeding, then summoned a small fireball to cauterize his wound.
Meanwhile, Qi Hui's bone sword absorbed Xu Ming's blood drop by drop, turning the once pale blade into a vivid crimson.
"Such rich blood energy," Qi Hui remarked in awe. "It's a rarity in this world. If you entered the White Fox Kingdom, you'd probably be drained dry."
"Oh? Should I thank you for the compliment, then?" Xu Ming replied with a wry smile.
"You're welcome," Qi Hui said with a nod, "but that's assuming you can leave here alive."
With that, Qi Hui lunged again, but Xu Ming charged forward as well.
Xu Ming hurled an ordinary longsword into the air, controlling it with his spiritual energy to fight. Having reached the Cave Mansion Realm, Xu Ming could maneuver the sword to strike opponents from a distance.
Seizing an opening, Xu Ming kicked Qi Hui squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. The airborne sword exploited the opportunity, slashing at Qi Hui relentlessly.
Enhanced by Xu Ming's sword energy, the blade managed to leave several gashes on Qi Hui's body. However, the prolonged battle caused the sword itself to chip in several places.
Xu Ming was beginning to understand why sword cultivators went to such great lengths to find a good sword. If your weapon was on the verge of breaking mid-battle, how could you possibly fight effectively?
Stepping into the air once more, Xu Ming's martial qi exploded outward, shattering the air with every movement. He unleashed punch after punch toward Qi Hui's head, their attacks sending Xu Ming's blood and fragments of Qi Hui's bone armor flying in all directions.
The longsword in midair spun in a tight circle before transforming into a streak of white light, piercing fiercely into Qi Hui's chest.
Heaven-Splitting Fist – Breaking Seas.
Xu Ming drew his fist back as the surrounding air converged onto it. Layer upon layer of martial qi gathered like surging waves, forming an overwhelming force.
"Boom!"
Xu Ming's fist smashed forward, shattering the waves of qi and slamming straight into Qi Hui's head.
Qi Hui was sent hurtling like a cannonball, crashing into the ground with immense force. His bone armor shattered completely as he coughed up blood, gasping for air.
When Qi Hui opened his eyes again, Xu Ming was already standing over him, sword in hand, poised to drive it into his heart.
The longsword was coated in frost that spread across its surface. Yet the blade's frostiness was interwoven with a fiery red glow, concentrated entirely at the sword's tip, radiating an immense killing intent.
Bingyun Sword Technique – Setting Sun.
This was the most powerful strike in the Bingyun Sword Technique.
Xu Ming shot forward like a rainbow piercing the sun, transforming into a beam of light that struck Qi Hui's chest with devastating force.
The sword pierced through Qi Hui's chest, its sword qi tearing through the rock beneath him.
The impact cracked the ground beneath Qi Hui, with fissures extending a hundred meters deep. The longsword Xu Ming had picked up was now covered in fractures, having reached its limit.
Qi Hui clutched the blade embedded in his chest, looking utterly battered but still managing a smile. "Compared to me, you seem even less human—more like some ancient beast. What a shame… truly a shame."
Qi Hui sighed repeatedly. Alarm bells suddenly rang in Xu Ming's mind, and he instinctively retreated in an instant.
The moment Xu Ming pulled back, the remnants of Qi Hui's bone armor exploded violently.
Qi Hui slowly floated up from the ground, his long hair disheveled.
The magma below began to churn violently, bubbling as though it had been stirred by an invisible force.
Xu Ming frowned deeply. He could clearly sense the surrounding spiritual energy surging into Qi Hui's body.
Qi Hui's form began to change.
Just like Shen Sheng from a few years ago, Qi Hui's body started to swell, with flesh and blood peeling away, transforming into a massive, grotesque bird.
The monstrous bird was covered in bones. Its wings were entirely skeletal, devoid of any flesh, gleaming with an eerie pallor.
Qi Hui opened his mouth wide, devouring not only Black God Sect disciples but also cultivators from various sects. Even the demonic beasts that had been freed due to the broken cages were not spared.
Qi Hui's body grew larger and larger, his form becoming increasingly immense.
When his gaze finally locked onto Xu Ming, Xu Ming felt as if his entire being was paralyzed, completely locked in place.
The overwhelming spiritual pressure bore down on Xu Ming like a mountain crushing his shoulders.
Qi Hui raised his head, and the magma below surged upward like a dragon drawing water, condensing near Qi Hui's mouth into a concentrated mass.
Xu Ming exhaled deeply, his body surging with Blood Qi Frenzy Mode once more.
He gathered all of his martial qi into his fists, his back emanating the form of a heroic martial spirit, which mirrored his posture, readying a powerful strike.
The wild eruption of Xu Ming's martial qi, the chaotic spiritual energy, and the searing heat of the magma intertwined into a suffocating mix, leaving all other cultivators struggling to breathe.
In front of Xu Ming's fist, the space itself seemed to shatter, revealing faint glimpses of the void.
Meanwhile, the condensed magma by Qi Hui's mouth grew denser, glowing like a miniature sun.
This was destined to be their final clash.
Qi Hui couldn't help but let out a laugh at the thought.
He never would have imagined that a mere Cave Mansion Realm cultivator could push him to this point.
Qi Hui's spell and Xu Ming's punch were unleashed simultaneously.
The massive lava bird and the martial qi dragon clashed mid-air, surging toward one another with unstoppable force.
But just as the two were about to collide, Qi Hui's and Xu Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.
In an instant, the lava bird and the martial qi dragon veered off course, redirecting toward the space behind them.
"Boom!"
The lava bird crashed into a one-legged firebird, while Xu Ming's qi dragon slammed fiercely into the belly of a black dog.
Both the black dog and the firebird were sent flying.
"Ah, well, your cultivation might not be all that high, but the strength's impressive, I'll give you that," said the firebird, flapping its wings nonchalantly, entirely unharmed—not even losing a single feather.
"Well, well. I didn't expect this," the black dog chuckled. "You two redirected your attacks at the same time? Do you trust each other that much? Weren't you worried the other might use that moment to strike a fatal blow?"
Neither Xu Ming nor Qi Hui answered.
The truth was, they'd been gambling—gambling that the other would redirect their attack toward the unexpected intruders. They had no choice; even if one of them killed the other, they'd surely die themselves in the aftermath.
The black dog glanced around the battlefield. "This place is fascinating. So many cultivators here look neither human nor beast."
The firebird's tone was light and casual as it spoke. "Enough with the chatter. Who's the current master of the Baiwa Secret Realm? Relinquish your ownership of the realm to us, and we'll let you live. If not, you'll find yourselves on a very short path to death."
Xu Ming frowned as he observed the black dog and the one-legged firebird.
While the black dog failed to recognize him, Xu Ming certainly recognized them.
This black dog was the same demonic beast that had attempted to assassinate Zhu Cici when he was a child, and the firebird was the one that had rescued it.
The black dog squinted at Xu Ming, then sniffed the air. "Kid, why do you look so familiar? Have we met before?"
Xu Ming smirked. "Who knows?"
The black dog scratched its chin with a paw. "Alright, then. I can smell the faint scent of a law on you. You must've just gotten your hands on the Baiwa Scroll, huh? Hand it over, kid, and I'll let you leave alive.
"As for you," the black dog turned to Qi Hui, "this fusion of human and beast you've got going on is pretty interesting. Hand over whatever research or method you've used, and you can leave too."
"And if I refuse?"
Xu Ming and Qi Hui spoke at the same time.
"Refuse?"
The black dog grinned, baring its sharp teeth.
"Then you'll die here, simple as that."
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